The lower part of this small valley is served by Chemin Royale (route 368) which runs along the southeast shore of Île d'Orléans.
The water level of the river varies with the seasons and the precipitation; the spring flood occurs in March or April.
The Maheu river originates in a forest area at the mouth of a very small unidentified lake (length: less than a hundred meters; altitude: 136 metres (446 ft)), in Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans.
This harbour whose sandstone of about 0.24 kilometres (0.15 mi) at low tide, is attached to Chenal des Grands Voiliers whose width is 3.2 metres (10 ft) at this location and is crossed by the St. Lawrence River.
[6] The toponym "Rivière Maheu" was formalized on December 5, 1968 at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.